Overview: The South Shore Line is a commuter rail line running in the southeastern Chicagoland area between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and South Bend Airport in Indiana. The entire line is 90 miles (140 kilometers) and is one of the only electrified commuter railroads in America outside the Northeast, and one of the last interurban style services with a street running portion, similar to the Arosa and Bernina lines. Unfortunately the street running portion was rerouted in 2022, so that’s why I think it would be best to have this route take place in 2019, when there was still street running operations, and a pre-COVID timetable. The full 90 miles wouldn’t be impossible, but still pretty long for a TSW route. So ideally, it could end just east of Michigan City, so it can still include the street running. Rolling Stock: The bulk of services are run by Nippon Sharyo Single-level EMU’s (there doesn’t seem to be an official model name for them). They run in pairs similar to the M3, M7, and M9’s, along with a couple unpowered trailer cars that can be hooked up in case of increased demand. Additionally, there are also a handful of Highliner II train sets, which are also used on the Metra Electric District, which runs parallel to the South Shore Line within Chicago. Ideally both could be included, with a Metra variant for the spots where the two lines run parallel. Additionally, some freight is run on portions of the line by the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, mostly using GP38’s. Timetable: The route starts by running parallel with the Metra Electric District between Millennium Station and Kensington/115th Street. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a 2019 timetable, but as of 2025, 26 trains terminate at Chicago, with some originating from Michigan City and Gary. 8 from Carroll Avenue, 5 from 11th Street, 7 from Miller, and the remaining 6 run the whole length. Three trains only run between Carroll Avenue and South Bend Airport. The Metra Electric District has 131 trains a day, making it the busiest line on the network, and could also make for a good standalone route someday, connected to the South Shore Line with route hopping. Freight is run sparsely along the line, including the street running section. Conclusion: This is quite a unique railroad, and could make for a good fit to TSW, especially considering how requested Chicagoland routes are. The only struggle might be with the street running as the trains have to obey traffic lights like a tram. But considering we already have street running in other routes, it could probably be pulled off. Extra Photos:
I'd still like to see the CSS Little Joe electrics on this route. They rostered a trio of them, and two of the CSS units have been preserved, with one operational at the Illinois RR Museum. We also need the CSS's pair of SD38-2s for freight services.
I’ve been thinking about doing a Milwaukee Road suggestion with the electric line and the Little Joes, but there isn’t too much information on it, and from what I could find, there seems to be very few services a day. Still might do it anyways, and said locomotives could be added as a historical dlc for this route.
I would like to see that route. The sad thing for me is the street running They eliminated that part to take it to another place. But if they make the route, I would forget about the Chicago Metra for a while, which would be another route I would like to see.
